Township of Union Schools are excited to announce the Class of 2016’s Valedictorian and Salutatorian, Jessenia Class and Anthony Okolo; respectively. Both students head into the final months of school with strong finishes, and opportunities for the future that are made out of academic dreams. Between them, they have been accepted to nine schools, five of them being Ivy League. It’s an exciting time for Union High School, marking such a banner year of academic success for the senior class.
This year, UHS Valedictorian Jessenia Class and Salutatorian Anthony Okolo are set to attend Ivy League colleges in the fall.
Jessenia applied to eight universities, receiving admittance into every single one she applied, including four Ivy League institutions: University of Pennsylvania, Princeton, Columbia, and Harvard. Among her top choices—Harvard.
Her process for applying was to make sure she approached each school singularly and uniquely. She refrained from recycling her essays, endeavoring to be as creative, honest and open as possible. Currently Jessenia works two jobs and is a member of several extracurricular activities at UHS including: President of the National Honor Society, Key Club Editor, Intercultural Student Organization Secretary, Optimist Club, ‘The Canon’ Newspaper, Spanish National Honor Society, National Art Honor Society and Model U.N. to name a few! Regarding her future, Jessenia commented “I would like a career in Neuroscience, but my preference is relatively fluid as per the actual profession right now. I could become a surgeon, a researcher, a professor, or an author—as long as I’m happy doing it.”
Anthony’s road to the Ivy’s was a little different with two words – Early Decision. Anthony is a student athlete and was actively being recruited by different schools, making his process much easier. He received interest from schools including Yale, Brown, Villanova and several others. In the end it was the University of Pennsylvania that won, he made his choice, applied Early Decision and the rest is history.
Outside of track and of course school, Anthony and a group of friends have started their own start up company, Seek Vehic, which they manage with the help of some college students. Through the app, they plan to revolutionize the ridesharing industry and oppose the powerhouses such as Uber and Lyft. To learn more about Anthony’s company visit them at www.seekvehic.com.
(above, l-r) Township of Union Schools Class of 2016’s Valedictorian Jessenia Class and Salutatorian Anthony Okolo.
